4 . SOUNDBITE (English) Steven Spielberg, US film director: ++STARTS ON PREVIOUS SHOT AND INTERCUT WITH NEXT SHOT++

(on similarities between "The Post" and modern US politics)

"It reminded me of things that are happening right now in terms of the media being broadsided by this administration (in Washington) and being labelled if they're not pleased with the coverage. News sources are being called fake, or fake news, as a new kind of hashtag that's out there these days, and I've found that 'Oh my God,' when I read the script, I said: 'Wow (former US President Richard) Nixon did the same thing (as current President Donald Trump) but without a Twitter account."

"I think this administration is very cleverly creating a kind of chaos of confusion, for the purpose of being able to define, from their own point of view, what's true and what isn't. And that's dangerous, because that is very subversive."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York, US - 9 January 2018

8. Spielberg and his wife, Kate Capshaw, posing for photographers at National Board of Review Gala

(Regarding revelations of sexual abuse and misconduct in the entertainment industry)

"What has happened in the last three or four months is an epic event. This is not just another little blip on the news cycle. This is something that's not going to be yesterday's news in 24 hours from now. This is a watershed moment and extolling the virtues of women coming forward through tremendous personal sacrifice using tremendous amounts of courage to speak about what happened to them - yesterday or 40 years ago, it doesn't matter. This is something that I think is going to change everything for the better."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York, US - 9 January 2018

10. Spielberg and his wife, Kate Capshaw, posing for photographers at National Board of Review Gala

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Steven Spielberg, US film director: ++SOUNDBITE INTERCUT WITH NEXT SHOT++

(Responding to question asking whether enough people have owned up and taken responsibility for what they've done, or is there more to come?)

"There's always more to come. There is always more to come, you know, but the other thing we have to think about is this: Hollywood and celebrity gets a lot of recognition. You can't just think of this as a Hollywood problem. This is a national problem, and probably a global problem."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Beverley Hills, US - 7 January 2018

12. Actresses Reese Witherspoon, Eva Longoria, Salma Hayek and Ashley Judd at Golden Globes wearing black to show support for the Time's Up movement, which launched on New Year's Day to fight sexual harassment

Storyline

US film director Steven Spielberg said on Thursday that he disagreed with actress Catherine Deneuve's claim that the sexual assault scandal in Hollywood has now turned into a "witch hunt" against men in the industry.

Speaking in London while promoting his film "The Post," which concerns a cover-up in the 1970s White House, Spielberg also made comment on the current US administration - and even compared US President Donald Trump to his scandal-hit predecessor, Richard Nixon.

"News sources are being called fake, or fake news, as a new kind of hashtag that's out there these days, and I've found that 'Oh my God,' when I read the script, I said: 'Wow Nixon did the same thing but without a Twitter account."

The 71-year-old added he thought the Trump administration was trying to create a "chaos of confusion," and called that "dangerous" and "subversive."

Regarding the string of sexual assault allegations in Hollywood, Spielberg called it an "epic event" that wouldn't go away quickly and will eventually bring about positive change in the industry - although he warned that more allegations would probably arise in the short-term.

His thoughts diverged markedly from those of Deneuve and other French actors and filmmakers, who signed an open letter in the newspaper Le Monde earlier this week, claiming that the search for perpetrators had gone too far.

"I'm sorry, I don't see it as a witch hunt right now. I see it as an imperative," Spielberg said.